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Mind At Rest Wills Blog

It has come to our attention today that The Office of the Public Guardian for England and Wales (OPG) has admitted to charging excessive fees for issuing powers of attorney for the past four years and full details of a refund scheme will be announced 'in due course'.

Lasting Powers of Attorney fees Reduced

From 1st April 2017, the fees for applying to register Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) have been reduced from £110 for each Lasting Power of Attorney to £82, with the fee for resubmitting an Lasting Power of Attorney for registration reducing from £55 to £41.

Have you recently suffered a bereavement?

Dealing with someone’s affairs when they die can be complicated and confusing, especially at a difficult and emotional time.

Whilst it is possible to deal with these matters on your own we often find that getting professional support to administer your friend or loved ones estate makes the process run much more smoothly and helps avoid costly and stressful mistakes being made.

What is involved in routine estate administration?

Executors of a Will have the legal responsibility of establishing the extent of the deceased estate, paying the liabilities and expenses of the deceased, including any inheritance tax where applicable, and distributing the remaining residual balance of the estate to the chosen beneficiaries.

The law requires that the administration of a deceased persons estate be carried out with due diligence, Administering an estate usually involves the following steps:

There are many reasons why a person in your life may no longer be able to manage their own financial affairs or make informed decisions about their personal welfare.

When this happens it is called "loss of mental capacity". Illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's and other forms of Dementia can often be the cause of someone loosing the ability to make their own decisions.

Probate Frequently Asked Questions

Taking care of a loved ones estate and financial affairs when they die can be complicated and confusing, especially at such an emotional and difficult time. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about Probate.

What is an Estate?

A persons Estate is everything that they own including all of their assets and their liabilities.

Contentious Probate and Disputing a Will

The death of a Spouse,Partner, parent, friend or other loved one is always an emotional time and can sometimes be very stressful. Especially if their Will is challenged or if there is a dispute relating to their Estate.

Nowadays more and more people are changing their home ownership from Joint Tenants to Tenants in Common in order to take advantage of Estate Planning Strategies that can help to protect their children's inheritance in the future.

One of the questions I am asked the most is "How to tell if a home / house is owned as Tenants in Common".

Due to the potential pitfalls of do it your self (DIY) Will Writing and Estate Planning we would always recommend you seek the help and advice of a professional Estate Planner or Solicitor.

However if you are confident that you know what you want to achieve and feel you have the ability to carry out the process of protecting your estate for your loved ones by yourself, then you may find the following list of organisations that are often involved in the Estate Planning Process helpful.

An Executor is a person that you appoint in your Last Will and Testament to carry out your Will wishes and distribute your estate accordingly when you pass away.

Executors can also be beneficiaries of a Will and people often choose to appoint their spouse, civil partner or children as Executors because this can make life simpler when dealing with the winding up of your estate.

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Based in Kesgrave, Ipswich, Suffolk providing Will Writing, Estate Planning and Probate Services. Which include; Single Wills, Mirror Wills, Probate, Will Storage, Trusts, Lasting Power Of Attorney, Digital Wills and Funeral Plans. To arrange a FREE professional consultation call us on 01473 760761 or use our Wills Enquiry Form